Another successful season of Operation Red Nose is in the books for Williams Lake.
More than 200 volunteers drove 7,809 kilometers to deliver 427 safe rides home to 906 people after Operation Red Nose launched in Williams Lake on Friday, Nov. 29.
Taking part in the one final night on New Year’s Eve was Dave Dickson who has retired as the City’s manager of community safety.
“Part of me is happy, part of me is sad but life moves on and it’s time to let somebody else pick up the leadership and move on so it was good,” Dickson says.
“I didn’t have much time to think about it because it’s sort of really quiet until up till ten after 12 and then the flood gates open and it’s just go, go, go. Having the 13 teams out, a good group of people, lots of fun, they were johnny on the spot and we got people safely home. We had a few people cancel but hopefully, they didn’t drive their vehicles-that’s the worry. When you read about what happened in Kamloops we’re blessed. We had no misfortunes on New Year’s Eve and got everybody safely home that we could.”
Dickson says the 43 volunteers gave 90 rides home to 194 people on New Year’s Eve and that they were also able to take in $2,400 in donations.
The funds raised through Operation Red Nose will go towards supporting the Cariboo-Chilcotin Gymnastics Association, Camp Likely, Cariboo-Chilcotin Youth Fiddlers and the Williams Lake Timberwolves girl’s peewee rep hockey team.
“I can think of three agencies that have said they are going to make a donation so we’ll need to follow up with them and I think the calls have been made to them but we’ll be close,” Dickson says.
“Last year we took in $15,000. This year we’re at $14,300. So we’re not far behind and if those donations come through as promised that will put us pretty close.”
With Dickson’s retirement, it is unclear who will now be looking after the popular program.
“It’s something I believe in,” Dickson says of Operation Red Nose.
“We have somethings in the hopper. It’s nothing firm; I’ve made an offer to the groups so we’ll see what happens. If they’re interested I’m not leaving. I could certainly coach from afar.”
Results of this year’s campaign in #BC : 5 399 rides – 3 031 volunteers. #rednose #2019
— Operation Red Nose (@ORNose) January 3, 2020